Dutch health authorities have said that 61 people who arrived in Amsterdam on two flights from South Africa tested positive for Covid-19, and they are conducting further testing to see if any of the infections are with the recently discovered Omicron coronavirus variant.

Around 600 passengers arrived at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport on the two KLM flights and then faced hours of delays and testing due to concerns over the new virus variant.

The Dutch health ministry said 61 tests had come back positive. "Travellers with a positive test result will be placed in isolation at a hotel at or near Schiphol," health authorities said in a statement.

Read the full Reuters story here.